Escaping Fate
by FL-Dead
Summary: Undertale's fate is to be the slave of resets and we are the cause of them. Can monsterkind find true freedom and happiness? That decision is for us players to make. (Old titel: True Happiness - possible or impossible?)
1. Ruins

**Prolog**

It's about time that I get back here. Sans is standing in front of me, his permanent smile glued to his face, making his usual speech until I interrupt him. Yes, _I_. I'm not talking about Frisk or Chara, because I will branch this timeline off of the game and turn it into a fanfiction. In the original game Toby Fox is the all-knowing being, but in _this_ fanfiction _I_ decide what's going to happen and there will be spoilers for the game, so don't be surprised.

Firstly, an important notice. The first roughly 2000 words are just the prolog and don't show how the actual story is going to be like. Before you decide to quit reading this, please, read to the end of this chapter, or at least past the prolog.

Also I think that it's important to mention that I changed the title of the story from "True Happiness - possible or impossible?" to "Escaping Fate". I just think that that sounds and fits better.

Now, let's continue with the story.

°Sans, I think that we both are bored by your talk by now, so how about I offer you a deal?

Sans seems to be shocked. I'm not really surprised, to be honest, I actually expected it. Through all the resets I made thus far, I never spoke in-game. Usually, Frisk would answer with silence or Chara would make some unsettling comments, but _we_ , the players, never speak, we only choose options. That's the reason why this isn't part of the „main timeline" anymore. I'll call every possible timelines in the game „main timeline", because the whole fandom has its roots from the game. Of course that includes this little fanfiction of mine. Anyway, like I said, Sans wasn't expecting me to suddenly intervene with the natural flow of everything and his observant eyes scanning Judgement Hall actually remind me that I don't have a physical form in the Undertale world, resulting in my voice coming from various directions.

*heh, that's the first time i actually hear you speak and… since it's a nice change of the monotonous things, let me hear what you have to offer.

He said it with a shrug, hands in his hoodie and eyesockets closed. Thats's the lazy skeleton we all love! Well, most of us, I can't read everyones thoughs, can I? Anyway, even if his stance screams „I don't care", the theorists of us know that it's just a mask. Now that I think about it, playing the Genocide Route is probably enough to know why Sans is behaving like that. I've taken the liberty of creating a small floating ball of blue light which will serve as my „body" for now. Why is it blue? Well, it's my favourite colour. Ah! „Colour" is a good example. Well, English is not my native language, so don't be surprised by mistakes or the lack of puns and I won't make an effort to separate AE and BE, because I'm too lazy. Enough slaking off, it's time that I include Frisk and Chara. So… Let's separate and let them float in the air next to each other. Frisk's face doesn't show any emotion, but Chara seems to be very angry and asks constantly how it's possible for me to take their control over Undertale. I float to Sans and begin to talk to him.

°Who do you think represents a normal human the most? The merciful Frisk or Chara, the offspring of violence?

Sans doesn't answer. He's just standing there, his eyesockets open and his arms hanging lazily by his sides, hands still in his pockets. I don't know if he knows the answer or not. Interpret it the way you like, I'll answer my own question for now.

°They are both part of a normal human. Frisk is the part that sympathizes with you monsters and Chara is the burning curiosity that constantly asks „What if…?". I accomplished a Normal Ending the first time I played Undertale, but if I had known that I can spare everybody, I would have aimed for the True Pacifist Ending. After I finished my first time, I watched Let's Plays from the other routes and I just had to do the True Pacifist Route myself. Later, I did the Genocide Route too. Do you know what had driven me to that decision? It wasn't curiosity, I knew everything through the Let's Plays. You, Sans. You and Undyne. I wanted to challange you and win at least one time and Chara didn't scare me in the slightest, because I can even make _them_ forget. Even when they destroyed the game, they know that they are bound to it. That's the reason why they made a deal with me later on.

Silence. Even Chara doesn't say a word. I think that know is a good point to make something clear. I'm of the opinion that it isn't Chara who is evil, but _us_ , the players. Just continue reading this fanfic if you want to see their change. Now back to the story… Well, a few minutes go by and Sans finally speaks.

*what do you want from me? what is your goal?

His eyesockets were empty as he told me his questions. It seems that in his point of view I'm an even bigger threat than before. I chuckle and answer.

°What I want from you? My goal? Now that I know practically everything the game has to offer as facts and not as theory-material, I want you guys to have a "Happy End". At least in this timeline.

Sans' eyelights return and become smaller in his eyesockets. He is surprised.

°What are you giving me that look for? I will explain it in a simple way. My „Chara-Half" still isn't sated, because there are way too many secrets to solve, but my „Frisk-Half" isn't satisfied either, because there isn't a „Happy-End". What to do, what to do? Well how about creating my own "Happy-End"?

It takes a few minutes for Sans to answer, but his reply is full of suspicion.

*how can i trust you?

I sigh. Honestly, this fanfiction is supossed to be more than an argument between Sans and me.

°I can ask any other Sanses for approval. You should be happy that one of us writers actually chooses you for a Happy End. Other Sanses weren't that lucky, you know. Some suffer depression, others become mad or they just commit suicide, only to be brought back with a reset. You should be happy that i didn't turn you into a crybaby or who knows what.

The skeleton hesitantly asks.

*promise me that i won't regret it.

°You are my favourite character, you know? That's why I won't make promises, because you wouldn't.

That was a pretty lame excuse. The real reason why I won't promise that is that I can't write the characters out of character and I have a feeling that Sans will have pretty bad emotional stress. While we are by emotional stress, I'm aware that Flowey is listening in the Throne Room, I didn't forget him. Maybe, I will turn him back into Asriel and let him remember everything, but that isn't important now. I turn my gaze to Sans only to find him deep in thought. He is probably pondering about why I didn't promise him that he won't regret it. I sigh. I really can't understand him, it's not like he has much to lose anyway. Oh well, I will just wait for him to finally answer me. It's not like im stuck in this fanfiction. I'll just do something else to bypass the time.

°You can think about it as long as you want. I have enough time.

And with that the blue light vanishes, leaving a thinking skeleton and two floating humans behind…

Only to appear again instantly. Well, at least for us. I don't know how much time went by for the three living beings, the moment I disappeared I came back in the moment when Sans is ready to answer. Who knows how long it took for him to finally find an answer.

*i just made my decision and you instantly appear again from nowhere. heh. i accept your offer, but if you try anything funny-

°You can't threat me, you are aware of that fact, right? Anyway, I'm happy that you agreed! It would have been pretty troublesome, if i had to search for another Sans and now I can finally bring this chapter to an end!

*wait- what do you mean with chapter?

°Oh, I didn't tell you right? Your world isn't based on a game anymore, but on a story. Don't worry, I'll try to make it as similar as the game as possible. It's not like you could prevent it anyway. This world's base changed the moment I spoke to you. Also, there will be other people reading this story, so be prepared!

Sans seems to be surprised. Again?! Okay, I understand that it's a lot to take in for the short monster, but still- I want to end this chapter!

*i can't argue with you now, can i? i'm not the one in control. i can only hope that i won't regret my decision. the only thing i can cling to is the fact that you were so kind to ask me for permission. but honestly- please, don't make me regret it.

°I will see what I can do about it.

Sans is directing his gaze onto the ground. His fake smile isn't showing happiness, but concern. It seems like he still isn't sure if it was the right decision. Anyway, I'm so relieved that the skeleton finally agrees! Now I can truly end this chapter! I'm really tired of Sans' concerns.

°I hope you guys like the story so far! I won't beg for reviews, favs or follows, but it just really motivates us writers. It's like telling us „You are appreciated!" and it makes us really happy. So, did i forget anything…? Oh! Pairings! Okay, I have my OTPs and so on, but I don't really plan on integrating pairings, because I want this story to stay as neutral as possible, so that everybody can read it. But that doesn't mean that you aren't allowed to read between the lines! So, what's next on the list… Mhm, okay. When you find plotholes, please tell me. That also applys to spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes and wrong/weird expressions. This is my first fanfiction in English and I know how it is to read terribly written stories, so please, if you want fanfictions with higher quality, then please help the authors who are willing to improve their writing. Even if it's just a missing –s on a verb. Next on the list would be my update schedule. I will write whenever _I_ want to write. In other words, updates will be pretty random and like I already said, encouragement is always appreciated, but if somebody doesn't like the story, don't write hate-comments. It's okay if you don't like what I write, but that doesn't justify you insulting me. So, I think that was everything on my imaginary list. One important notice though, I only have a rough line about how the story is supposed to progress, so don't be surprised if I change something in the previous chapters or if it takes long for me to update. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask! And thus, I will say my farewells. See you in the next chapter! Sans, you too!

*w-what? oh! y-yeah, see you guys in the next chapter?

°Stop being so wary Sans and don't you have anything else to say? You didn't speak very much in this chapter.

*well, frisk didn't say a single word. that also applys to flowey and asgore. only chara yelled something about you taking control from them.

°True. Anyway, see you in the next chapter Sans!

*till the next chapter.

And thus the game mechanics defying beings are met with blackness. Well, besides us of course.

°Now to the topics the Undertale characters don't need to hear! To the pairing thing, you can ask me if I can write something for a specific pairing. I don't really hate any other pairings. Just remember one thing: I WRITE WHENEVER AND WHAT I LIKE. But asking doesn't hurt.

Now to something entirely else: German is my native language (but I'm Asian). You can ask me to translate my stories and like the story-writing: I WRITE WHENEVER AND WHAT I LIKE.

Before you request anything, please, check my profile for more information on that matter.

Cover changed since 8th May 2016. Feel free to tell me how horrible my drawing skills are!

 **[Above: prolog/former chapter 1 | Beneath: the actual start of the story/former chapter 2]**

 **Chapter 1 – A slightly different start of an Undertale save file**

Impact. Rustling. A small, nearly unhearable groan. Frisk stands up and first of all examines their surroundings. They look around, only to see a dark corridor to their left and otherwise black walls. They turn their face upwards and see a big hole in the distance, where sunlight shines through. Beneath their shoes they could feel grass and… flowers. The young child looks down to check the colour of the plants. The flowers are yellow. They are yellow, but… That can't be. Neither they nor Chara reseted, so it can't be possible. Then the memories from the last reset come back. Frisk turns her attention to her soul and is relieved to feel both her soul and Chara, but… Something is wrong. Something tries to separate itself from her soul. Something very important. Chara struggles for keeping that something inside Frisk's soul, but they are too weak. That something splits itself from Frisk and is now floating in front of the child with a red glow which quickly turns into a blue one. The small human checks themselves again. At first glance everything seems to be alright, but after they take a closer look at themselves they realise that an important thing was missing. Frisk is confused. They can't believe that that was possible. In hopes of negating their fear, they try to open the menu, only to be met with… nothing. They stare at the space where the buttons „Continue" and „Reset" should be. Panic settles inside them and they turn to look at me. After a few seconds of silence the poor child tries to catch me only to realise that they can't touch me and fall face-first to the ground. The small human looks up to face me again and stands up with determination in their eyes. Determination. I honestly have to laugh and my actions only encourage them to try to get a hold on me. At the beginning their movements are precise, but after a few minutes they turn desperate. Needless to say, they still can't touch me and exhaust themselves pretty fast. I don't do anything. I just float there, watching them as they desperately try to get back what they lost, _my_ determination. I shake my head. They can't get back what isn't theirs to begin with.

If the determination of the humans had been enough to reset, then Undertale would have been doomed. Of course, mother nature already set rules. No matter how much determination one creature gets, it can never get enough to break the natural law, but, like always, there are exceptions. What about Flowey? Why could he reset? Well, he is an anomaly, kind of. Determination is reserved for creatures with a soul. What happens, when a soulless being is being injected with determination? The result is something like Flowey. With enough determination soulless beings can trick mother nature into believing that they have a soul. They can even imitate creatures with souls perfectly, but there is one flaw. They can't imitate emotions properly. That's the reason why Flowey got insane, but everyhing has its pros and cons. Since Flowey doesn't have any emotions to interfere with his determination, he can store an endless amount of it, until he can even reset. The mystery of Flowey's ability to reset should be clear now, but what happens when another being with more determination suddenly appears out of thin air? The natural rules will follow the one with more determination and if two beings have the exact amount of determination, they will cancel each other out. That should explain why _we_ have the power to reset now. _We_ have unlimited determination, while Flowey has a limitation, because he only has the amount of determination from his universe at his disposal. Then how come Flowey manages to take our saving abilities in the True Pacifist Route? Because we didn't put all of our determination in the game. After all, it's still a game in our eyes, right?

So, what about the two standing in front of me? Frisk and Chara serve as our vessel, but why them? Because their soul is dominated with determination, so we can hide inside them. But what about Chara being so evil? Well, they once were human, but as time goes on their hate consumed their whole being, so someone had to compensate for that. That someone is Frisk. These two also show, how every human has good and evil inside them, because they belong together. They are two sides of a coin.

I'm really sorry that there is so much theory in this chapter, but how do you guys explain Sans abilities? Well, Sans is a skeleton. Skeletons aren't based on humans for nothing. They can bear more determination compared to other monsters, but of course even they have limits. Like that's not enough they can even use magic, because of the fact that they are still monsters. The only problem is how they are going to get determination. After all, monsters are known for their low amount of it. Still, it's not impossible to get a decent amount of it, even for a monster. The best example would be Undyne. Undyne the Undying. The true heroine. Do you guys remember the Genocide Route? After you beat the fish woman, she actually _melts_. Well, that's because at that time she had so much determination that her body couldn't handle it anymore. _Naturally_ produced determination. Looks like it really is possile for monsters to have a decent amount of determination and perhaps Sans cares for his brother more than he already shows. There is also the possibility that science is involved. Anyway, like I said, monsters _melt_ when they have to much determination, so there is no creature with both a high amount of determination _and_ magic, right? Well, there is. Maybe even two. The first is Sans and the second is… maybe Gaster. With both determination and magic at disposal, who knows what possibilities the two skeletons had and still have. We know that determination can bend time and space and maybe because Gaster went over his limits in one of his experiments, he ended up being scattered through time and space. What about Papyrus? Why am I ignoring him till now? It's because Papyrus doesn't have such a high amount of determination like the other two skeletons and that makes him a normal monster.

That is just my theory, so if you don't agree, don't bother to much with it. Anyway, it's time that I continue with the story, right? Frisk is still standing in front of me, exhausted from their recent actions. After they catch their breath, I ask them if we could finally continue.

°Are you finished? I would like to make a little progress.

They look at me with a frown. Looks like they don't trust me and including their recent actions, I think that they don't like the fact that I have the ability to reset now. I admit that not all my actions were good, but the determination isn't theirs to begin with. Tired of their suspicion, I start floating to the door that leads to the room where I met Flowey for the first time. I can hear Frisk sighing behind me before the small child starts tagging along. After we arrive in the next area we are greeted by Toriel. The goat lady talks to Frisk first before she turns to me and eyes me suspiciously. I guess its because a being made up entirely of determination can give off a strange feeling. The adult monster asks me with a friendly voice.

*Would you be so nice to tell me your name? And maybe… what you are? Of course, only if it doesn't bother you.

°I… don't remember anything. The first thing I can remember is me waking up in the room where Frisk and I just came from. You can call me Q though. Q like the letter „Q" or the word „cute" without the „-te". The sound can also be written like „Kyu".

I answer her with an innocent voice and that innocence with my faked amnesia instantly spark the caring side of Toriel. The fact that my voice is that of a young female teenager only strengthens her motherly side. The former queen carefully places her hands around me, like she's trying to hold me, and speaks to me kindly.

*You poor innocent being. How merciless fate can be.

She turns her attention to both me and Frisk before she continues.

*Please, follow me. I will show you how the Ruins work.

We comply with her request. During Frisk's spar with the dummy, Toriel asks me if I would like to try talking to the dummy. She probably asks instead of ordering me, because I can't be touched anyway and thus I can't get into fights. I decline. During Frisk's fight against Froggit, where Frisk sparred the little monster, I just watched from the sidelines and while Toriel leads Frisk through the spikes I just float along. After the small child and I crossed the long room which is the area after the spikes Toriel explains her actions, gives us a cell phone and leaves. Before I could go to the next area, Chara suddenly speaks.

*What do you want?

They pause, so that I can turn my attention to them. I'm not surprised that Chara questions me. I mean, I would be mad too when somebody suddenly steals my power over a whole universe.

°Exactly what I said before the reset. I want a happy ending.

*Like I would believe such nonsense! You will just reset everything and kill everyone again! I know your type.

°Don't worry, this timeline will be safe and if I become bored, I will just go terrorize another timeline. It's not like you can stop me anyway.

*No sane person who remembers the resets will believe you. Do you really think that you convinced Sans-

°No, I don't, but that will change soon enough. And now, Chara, please shut up. I don't have the nerve to argue with you at the moment. I just want to continue the story.

*Why should I listen to you?

°If you don't comply, I will force you. As to why you should listen to me, if your existence is dear to you, I strongly recommend you to follow my commands.

Chara lets out a sound of irritation and vanishes. Frisk gains the control over their body again and stare at me with their unchanging face. After a few seconds we continue the familiar path. We speak and befriend every monster that comes across us. Frisk only takes one candy and we get to see Napstablook's hat again. How does he call it? Dapperblook? Anyway, we buy something at the Spider Bake Sale and pick up every item we can find. The Faded Ribbon is instantly equipped by Frisk to raise their defense, while the Toy Knife is being ignored. Whenever we cross a save point, I go there and save. Of course, I have many save files, because why not? They can come in handy in the future.

After we solved the familiar puzzles, we finally reach Toriel's house. The former queen does the same things she does every time. She invites us inside her house and after Frisk slept for a while we pick up the slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie the adult left for us. We search for Toriel and soon find her reading in the living room.

*Up already, I see? Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you… But I have always wanted to be a teacher. …actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. STILL. I am glad to have you living here.

The pain in Frisk's chest turns worse with every word that leaves Toriel's snout. It's getting harder for the small child to keep up a smiling face, but you can still see the guilt in the young human's face. Toriel just wants the best for them, yet they… they… They can feel the dust of various Toriels clinging on their small hands. _They can feel their sins crawling on their back._

*Oh, did you want something? What is it?

Frisk turns their face in my direction and I approve their unspoken question. They want to spent time with the adult monster, time we players always stole from the innocent human. In this timeline, I will let Frisk enjoy themselves and just sit back. The young child looks in the direction of the giant goat woman and shakes their head.

*If you need anything, just ask.

Frisk and I pretend to go exploring, even though we just want to get back to our room. There, I motion my small companion to sit down and listen to me.

°Frisk, stop blaming yourself for crimes that aren't yours to begin with.

The little human focuses their sight on the floor, hiding their face from me. They still doubt my words and mutter things like how they could have stopped Chara and me. That's it!

°Frisk, listen to me.

I summon a light blue hand and use it to slowly turn their head towards me. Their face is covered with tears and more threaten to roll down these young child's cheeks.

°It's not your fault. Chara and I are responsible for the deaths of many monsters. We used your body as a tool to commit our crimes. You are not responsile in any way. You are a victim. You were forced to do thing you didn't want to. Hell, I even sold your soul without permission.

I use the summoned hand to carefully wipe the tears away. Frisk snuffles a few times before finally calming down. They then smile at me, silently thanking me. I ruffle their hair and that causes the little human to laugh. I let my hand vanish and my light dims, creating a soothing light source.

°A smile suits your face better than tears. Come on! Let's go to Toriel!

Exiting our room, we make our way to the friendly goat woman and Frisk silently tugs at Toriel's sleeve.

*What is it?

The little human pulls the slice of Butterscotch-cinnamon pie out of the ITEM menu and holds it in front of the former queen.

*Ah! You want to eat the pie, right? Let me get you a fork-

The young child clings to the giant monster and shakes their head. They use their right index finger to point firstly at themselves, then at Toriel and finally at the pie.

°Frisk wants to eat the pie together with you.

It seems like Frisk is too shy to talk to Toriel, so I just helped out. Said monster blinks a few times before realisation hit her.

*Now I understand! Wait here for a moment, alright? I will come back with the forks and my slice. You can already go and sit down at the table, if you want.

The goat woman vanishes in the kitchen and Frisk sits down on the smallest chair. The other two are too big and probably are for Asgore and his former wife. It doesn't take long for Toriel to show up again with the promised things and soon the two of them eat with content expressions on their faces. When the adult monster finished half of her slice, she turns her attention to me.

*Don't you want a slice too, Q?

°Nah. I don't need to eat, so it's fine. I'm not even sure if I can consume food. Still, thanks for asking me!

*You're welcome! Just tell me if you need anything, alright?

°Sure!

Besides the small conversation between me and Toriel, nothing noteworthy happened during supper and the former mother of two lovely children decides to let Frisk sleep. She reads the small human a bedtime story until said human drifts off before speaking to me.

*I think you already noticed that, but I'm not really sure how to take care of you. Do you need sleep?

°I don't think so and don't worry! I know that I'm not normal and I really appreciate your concern, but you shouldn't think too much about it. I don't really need anything. The company of Frisk and you is enough.

*I see. Thank you for telling me. Like I said, if you happen to need anything else, don't hesitate to tell me!

°I will take that into account when the time comes!

The former queen turns the lights off and quietly closes the door. I settle beside Frisk's head on the comfy pillow and do something else in the real world until my small companion wakes up.

The next day, Frisk and Toriel clean the Ruins a bit and the former mother shows the young child her favorite bug-hunting spot along the way. The day after tomorrow, the goat woman sets her curriculum for the small human into motion and shows them many old books.

Time flies and soon nearly a whole week passed. During these days, Frisk smiled and laughed a lot. I think that was the first time I saw them so happy, but good times never last. We wasted enough precious hours, it's time to move on.

Frisk is currently reading a children's book and I use the chance to poke them once. When I finally get their attention, I motion to the stairs that move downwards. The happy smile my companion had until now vanishes and is replaced with sad understanding.

We call Toriel and tell her to take a seat. From the player's perspective, the former queen is sitting on the left side of the table while my young companion and I rest on the right side. Toriel's hands are on the table and hold each other while said monster smiles at us with a motherly expression. Before the woman can say anything, I speak first.

°Toriel, we have to go.

The adult goat stops every thought she just had and sits there, unmoving. When realisation hit her, she clenches her hands and asks with a trembling voice.

*W-what do you mean?

°You know exactly what I mean. We have to go and meet Asgore.

The normally collected monster suddenly slams her hands on the table and stands up abruptly.

*Who teached you that name?! That doesn't matter. You are not allowed to meet him! His plan cannot be allowed to succeed!

After a moment of silence, the adult woman tries to exit the room, only to walk into a familiar barrier that separates the two ending of the table. When the surprise wears off, the former queen examines the invisible wall and her eyes widen in panic.

*T-that can't be…! That feels like… like...

°Like the barrier that traps us down here, right?

Toriel looks at me with fear in her eyes.

*… Who are you?

°Someone who knows and wishes the best for monsterkind. If you promise me not to go and destroy the exit of the ruins, I will remove the small barrier in front of you.

Intimidated by my power, the former queen silently nods and sits down again. I remove the barrier in the room and settle down on Frisk's head.

°Would you believe me when I say that I know a way to destroy the barrier without killing another human child?

The adult goat perks up at that.

*I-is that possible?!

One can clearly hear the hope in her voice. I chuckle at that before focusing on the conversation again.

°It will only work with your cooperation.

Toriel waits patiently, waiting for me to continue.

°Frisk and I have to move on and prepare some things. Do you remember what you told me?

The former queen remains silent.

°You told me to tell you whenever I need something. So promise me one thing. When I call you on your cell phone, pick up and please follow my instructions.

*… What will you tell me to do?

°Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I won't ask you to hurt something or to do something more cruel.

After a few seconds, Toriel sighs and responds.

*… Alright.

At that answer, Frisk and I smile at each other, but are soon interrupted by the goat woman.

*I still have one question though. Didn't you say that you have amnesia?

°I'm not a good girl, Toriel. I'm a bad girl.

*… I see. Is there something else I need to know about you two? Maybe about Frisk?

°Frisk is a normal human child. Don't worry.

That is actually a lie, because… well… I don't think that it's a good idea to mention Chara now, right? The time will come, but for now, Toriel has to wait.

°We will take our leave now, Toriel. I hope we will see each other again soon.

Frisk agrees with me. My last sentence ends the conversation and my young companion and I stand up to exit the Ruins, but Toriel stops us.

*Wait, my children!

The adult monster rushes into the kitchen and brings us a slice of Butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

*Be good, won't you?

Frisk takes the pie in their hands and stares at it. After a few seconds, a lone tear escapes their eyes and they nod while snuffling. They put it into the ITEM menu and tackle the motherly monster with a hug. Toriel goes to her knees to return the hug before the two of them separate. Then, Frisk and I go down the stairs, leaving the former queen behind.

We slowly approach the door in the basement. Why slowly? I turn my attention to Frisk's face and I see nervousness. Now I understand! We are goint to meet Sans again!

°Don't worry, Frisk. I assure you that Sans won't hurt you.

They still have that sad expression. I sigh.

°I promise that I will settle things with Sans, okay? And I'm sure that Sans isn't mad at you. It wasn't you who killed countless monsters, after all. I'm certain that he's angry at Chara and me instead.

After I see that I still didn't lift Frisk's mood, I quit talking and we silently approach the big door at the end of the impossibly long hall. We stop in front of the only thing that separates us from the cold place. The cold place where Snowdin lies. The cold place where the only two skeletons in the whole Underground live. The cold place where Papyrus lives, the only monster that can't or won't kill Frisk. The cold place where the only monster that remembers the resets lives. The cold place where we will meet our judge. The cold place where we will face Sans.

Frisk wants to open the door, but I stop them. After all, this is the end of the chapter and if you guys want to read more, you will have to wait for the next!

°Sorry Frisk, but you will have to wait for the next chapter. Until then, please calm down, because I don't think that you want to meet Sans with that sad expression.

Anyway, I can't believe that I actually got the motivation to continue this story. Seems like not promising anything is actually pretty good for my imagination. It doesn't put me under stress and I can write fanfictions as a real little hobby, not work. But honestly now, two follows? Thank you so much! I would also like to thank Reader99 for commenting on this little story of mine! Actually, can you tell me why you would ship Sans and Chara? No offense, I'm just curious. Also, I would like to know what you guys think of the story so far. What do you guys think of the idea this story is based on? I would really like to read the opinions of other people. With that said I will say my goodbyes! I hope you enjoyed the story so far and hopefully we will meet again in the next chapter! Frisk, you too!

Frisk waves with their right hand and smiles sweetly.


	2. Snowdin

**Chapter 2 - The hard life of a short skeleton**

°And Frisk? How have you been since the last chapter?

Frisk looks at me with surprise written across their face. For us it's just a jump between chapters, but for our lovely Undertale characters it's like me suddenly appearing out of nowhere. After the shocked child realises that it's just me, they get up from their sitting position and run towards me. The young human stops beside me and it seems like the ground suddenly got more interesting than me. A look on their face tells me that they didn't really calm down since the last chapter. Well, if you consider that the cause of their anxiety is only past the exit in front of us, I can't blame them. Sans is probably waiting for us, for _me_. Like Chara mentioned in the last chapter, I don't think that Sans believes me, so our meeting can result in many different scenarios. If he already lost all hope, he would probably just go along with me, but if he is still mad, he will surely lash out at me. Of course, he could also believe me, but like I said in the past chapters, not all my actions were good, so I can't really imagine why he should trust someone who killed his brother and pun loving goat lady more than just one time.

I should stop rambling. Frisk is shifting from one foot to the other impatiently and I also think that the story should continue at least a little bit.

°Sorry Frisk. I was lost in thought. Let's go.

The small child inches towards the door slowly, like they don't want to open it, even though they appeared to be so impatient not long ago. They reach their right hand out and slowly touch the door. For a few seconds we just stand there, staring at the door like it is a wall. A big, mighty wall that keeps us protected from things we don't want to face. I prod my young companion with a small burst of determination and they finally open the door, inviting the cold air into Toriel's warm house. Frisk slowly opens the door like we have plenty of time and only when the door fully opened we dare to take our first steps in Snowdin. At least the first steps in _this_ timeline. When Frisk exposes their full body to the snow they start to tremble. Wait, they can actually _feel_ temperature? Every time I lead them through the icy weather of Snowdin, the wet grounds of Waterfall or the burning temperatures of Hotland they never reacted in any way. Determination really is powerful in Undertale. It can even negate the effects the weather has on a human body.

°I will make sure to get you some warm clothes. Until then, please stay determined Frisk.

We continue on the familiar path, but Frisk is barely able to walk properly. I always knew that such a young human child could never survive under such harsh circumstances and now that they are a normal child my worries only get confirmed. I start emiting determination in hopes of warming the poor human even if it's just a little bit. After a while Frisk actually stops shivering and thus I keep sending waves of determination to my young companion. It doesn't affect me in any negative way anyway. As we continue following the path in front of us, I slowly get the feeling that something, some _one_ is watching us. I know that Alphys follows every single step of us with her cameras, but my concern isn't directed at her. A certain skeleton is watching us. I could swear that I saw two black eyesockets in the corner of my sight just now. And a flash of blue that doesn't belong to me. Does Sans really have to make things harder for both of us? I sigh as I reach the bridge with Frisk beside me and focus on the black figure the shadows try to hide so desperately. Frisk, on the other hand, is still showing their back to the monster. It seems like they really cling to the memories of their first True Pacifist run and want to relive it again. Sans and Frisk play their meeting like it is the first time they ever met. I'm right, Sans really thinks of Frisk as a real friend, after all he knows their true nature from the True Pacifist timelines. During their talk and the conversation between Sans and Papyrus, the short skeleton and I ignore each other. When the talk between the brothers slowly approaches its end, Frisk becomes nervous again. After a few minutes Papyrus finally leaves and both Frisk and I come out from our hiding spot. We approach Sans and stop in front of him. The punny guy and I stare at each other for a few seconds while Frisk waits anxiously besides us. I am the first to speak.

°Sans.

A short greeting consisting of only his name. Sans struggles with his words. He probably also wants to acknowledge me with one single word, but doesn't know what to call me. I decide to help him out.

°Q.

His vision focuses on me and his eyessockets widen. He seems to be surprised and repeates what I just said, like he wants to confirm that he heard right.

*q?

°Q. You can call me Q.

He looks at me, taken aback. Seconds pass by before he manages to make and keep up his fake smile again. He continues our previous talk with his normal voice, instantly ignoring the little event.

*q.

At that moment, I remember that Frisk is present and still has problems with the cold weather. To solve the problem, I turn my attention to Sans.

°Actually, before we start discussing anything, can you please give Frisk your hoodie? You can go home and bring other clothes if you want, I won't go anywhere. And please deactivate Alphys' cameras. I don't want her so observe us and you can turn them on again after we've settled things.

I whisper the part about the cameras and it seems like I caught him off guard again, because his white pupils shrink. To my surprise, he actually noods and teleports away. Before he vanishes, I get a good look at his facial expression. After the bag of bones is gone, I just float there, thinking. The expression on his face… It surprises me, but not in a good way. How should I describe it? I know that English isn't my native language, but I believe that my word pools aren't _that_ bad, are they? Let's see… is it sadness? Intimidation? _Obedience_ -? Wait, wait, wait. That can't be. I know that Sans loosing all his hope is one of the possibilities I thought of in the beginning of this chapter, but I didn't actually _mean_ it. I just wanted to get rid of my nervousness. Just as I wanted to cut that line of thought, the cause of the stress appears again. He holds a pullover and a winter jacket under his left arm and hands the clothes over to Frisk as soon as he spots them. I examine said clothes and realise that they are all in a size that is way to small for Sans. He didn't actually _buy_ them, right? I overthink it too much. I mean, they can be clothes from Sans' or Papyrus' childhood, right? I just told myself to stop thinking and what do I do? I resume thinking. The fastest way to get an answer would be asking Sans directly. I mean, what harm could a simple question do anyway?

°Hey, Sans. These clothes are especially for children, right? Where did you get them? You didn't store Papyrus' childhood clothes, did you?

I laugh. A small attempt to lighten the mood, but my effort is shot down with Sans' next words.

*i just bought them.

My words are stuck in my nonexistent throat. His voice… It was so soft-spoken that I nearly didn't hear it, but there is something else that caught my attention. There is some short of hidden meaning in it. Is it… fear? Wait, wait, wait. This fanfiction is moving in the wrong direction. It doesn't match with the title! I chose a Sans with special qualities before I started this fanfic, but I didn't realise how _broken_ this Sans is. Don't tell me that the skeleton puts me on the same level with an abusive Gaster. No, just no. Why didn't I search through his past more? Stupid me. But why now? Why does he suddenly develop this fear _now_? Maybe after he realised that I'm almighty he somehow concluded that he will have to suffer, if he wants his family and friends to be happy. Okay, stop that line of thought. Stop thinking stupid me. I'm just misinterpreting things. It's just a misunderstanding. It has to be.

°Where did your happy voice go? Don't tell me that you're sick!

While Still trying to lighten the mood, I laugh softly, but Sans doesn't show any reaction. My laughter died.

°Don't tell me that you really put me on the same level with an abusive Gaster.

When I mention the former royal scientist's name, Sans visibly flinches. Him doing nothing at all is bad enough, but that reaction isn't better. In fact, it is worse.

*what do you want from me?

The scared monster's voice trembles and he takes a step away from me, but stops abruptly. I could almost _see_ him swallowing his fear. I can imagine Gaster punishing him for showing signs of wanting to flee and the thought makes me shudder. I have to calm Sans somehow. I float to the ground and settle in the snow. Being bigger usually gives you a feeling of being in control and I hope that my actions at least reduce his fear a little bit.

°Like I said, I want you guys to have a real „Happy End".

For a few seconds we both don't dare moving and just keep staring at each other, the only sounds being made by Frisk somehow changing their clothes behind a tree in the cold snow and… Well, maybe it's just me, but I think I can actually _hear_ Sans' anxiety in his breath. I'm crazy. It's just my imagination, right? Anyway, now that Sans has time to put his thoughts in order, he manages to collect himself again and sits down. He refuses to look at me and instead focuses his eyes on the snowy ground below us. After Frisk comes back and joins us in our gathering, I decide to pick up where we let off.

°You're wrong, if you think that I'm going to torture you. I'm going to torture other Sanses, but I want to be friends with you. In my first Genocide timeline you told me that before all that happened you hoped that we could be friends, right? Come on, let's break the barrier and start our relationship anew on the surface.

I inch closer, but my actions only make Sans flinch again. He would have fallen on his back, if he hadn't caught himself with his bony hands. I take the opportunity to float close to his face. After the monster collects himself again and opens his eyes, only to see me inches away from his face, his bones start rattling. Fear finds its way back to his face and I immediately start radiating my determination. Sans' breath becomes even once again and he sits up with me following his movements. He holds his hands out, like he's carrying water, and waits. I get the invitation and settle down in his hands. We stay like that for some more time, so that Sans can enjoy my determination which acts like warmth in this case. I don't know how the skeleton feels about this situation, but his hands are pretty comfortable for me. Said monster gathers the little courage he has at the moment and speaks.

*do you mean it?

I envelop him in pleasant warm air, because I can't really nod as a small lightball. He seems to get it right.

*does that mean… yes?

°Yes.

I have the feeling that he can only be satisfied with a clear answer, so I give him his answer. A small, blue-glowing tear escapes his left eyesocket and I evaporate it with my warmth. That motion should replace the hand-wiping-away-a-tear gesture, because I don't have hands. Sans understands the meaning behind my actions, gives me an honest smile and sits up with Frisk following suit.

*we should get going. after all, we don't want the cold to get under my brother's _skin_ , right?

Sans closes his left eye-socket and both Frisk and I can barely stifle our laugher. Said comedian puts his hands back into his hoodie and turns around, showing his back to us.

*i'll go ahead. don't make papyrus wait too long, okay?

And thus he leaves me alone with my young companion and I can't help but wonder how he actually plans on going back to his brother, walking or using one of his famous shortcuts? That doesn't matter at the moment, but what matters is how I could hear that little spark of hope in Sans' voice. Hehe, now I feel more determined than I was at the beginning of this little project. In the good old Undertale language: You're filled with determination. I turn to Frisk, only to see a grin spreading on their face. I smirk.

°I told you that I will settle things with him. I'm really happy about how this ordeal turned out! I didn't plan for Sans to be so… negative, but I'm sure that we will be able to solve that problem! After all, that is what this fanfiction is about: To give everybody a Happy End.

Frisk agrees with a nod and we continue following the path through Snowdin. Before we meet Papyrus, we explore our environment, like we did in the Ruins. Repeating the same actions, we befriend every monster that crosses our path and pick up every item. I still save at every opportunity and Frisk puts the items they don't need in the box, including weapons. I somehow feel the urge to call it our routine even though we only did it two times. I think I will use the word „routine", because I won't have to repeatedly write these actions again and again then. After we feel satisfied with our accomplishments, we brace ourselves for our meeting with Papyrus and trespass the screen, only to appear again before the skeleton brothers. The taller one expresses his joy like always, looking back and forth from his shorter brother to me and after a while both of them spin in circles. I can barely stifle my laugher. These two skeletons are way to silly. It doesn't matter how many times I see this, it's still funny. After Papyrus' little speech the two monsters leave with Sans giving us a quick smile and Frisk and I make our way peacefully through the countless puzzles. When we reach Sans' puzzle and Papyrus asks for our opinion about crosswords or Junior Jumble being harder, I decide to change some things.

°I don't know. I'm generally bad at puzzles and that also counts for Frisk. Can you help us getting better at them? Like, solving a few together with us? The great Papyrus won't let two kids down, will he?

I hope that he decides to comply with my suggestion and Frisk actually helps me with… puppy eyes?! At least their face fits the description, because they refuse to open their eyes. Still, it looks so cute! Oh my god, I can practically see their sweet, innocent aura radiating from them! My small companion drags their hands in front or their chest, straightens their legs and looks up at Papyrus with that cute facial expression. Said skeleton takes a step back, startled. Sweat starts forming on his skull and his nervousness increases. He can't reject them, not when they make such a face.

*W-WELL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL GIVE YOU LESSONS ABOUT PUZZLES! I'M SURE THAT MY TEACHING METHODS ARE GOOD, FOR I AM TRULY GREAT!

He replys with trembling capital letters. God, Frisk, you sure put a new meaning to torture, don't you? I'm feeling so sorry for Papyrus right now, you know? This cuteness level should be banned. After the poor royal guard in training calms down, we make our way to the puzzles Papyrus deems fitting and everytime before we encounter any other fellow workers from the tall skeleton, Sans somehow manages to distract his younger brother long enough for Frisk and me to be able to befriend said colleagues. At first we make the puzzle with the map hidden in snow. Actually, Papyrus and Frisk do all the work, because Sans is too lazy and I can't touch anything. Well, the last one is a lie. I _can_ touch things, if i choose so, but even if I can touch the snow, I won't be able to do much as a weak lightball, right? After the map is finally freed from the snow, Papyrus stares at it. He probably doesn't understand what it actually shows. Thus, I nudge Frisk and mention them to follow me. I doesn't take us long to find and press the switch. We report our findings to the younger skeleton before all four of us continue on our way. The next puzzle is very easy, because we only need to step on the two X-tiles and then press the switch. You could call it the prototype of the next puzzle which isn't harder to solve. Papyrus tells us again how the snow became misplaced and Sans mentiones the switch on the trunk of the tree. The Multicolor Tile Puzzle is broken, like always, and the gauntlet of deadly terror is being skipped, because it's „too easy". More life threatening, if you ask me. Finally, we arrive at Snowdin and the skeleton brothers show Frisk and me around. Papyrus wants to leave after the tour, but I could convince him to hang out with us later. If I'm lucky enough, Frisk won't have to fight him! Before the small human and I leave too, a certain comedian stops us.

*please wait for a sec.

Sans scans his surroundings before he vanishes in the dark forest, only to come out of it again nearly instantly. He probably turned Alphys' cameras off. I wait patiently for Sans to start speaking.

*i just wanted to thank you for being so nice to my brother and don't think that i didn't notice your attempt to avoid fighting him.

I try to make a wholehearted chuckle, but Sans still catches my uncertainty. His raised left bone brow is enough for me to piece his unspoken question together and I brace myself for the next spoken words.

*what's wrong?

°Nothing.

*i know what a lie is, you know? now tell me, what's the matter?

°… Your behavior is odd. Why do you open up to me so fast?

*… heh. let's go somewhere private.

He pulls his left hand out of his hoodie and holds it out to me. Frisk grabs it and I float on top of the two hands. Not long after that, I find myself again in front of Sans' sentry post and we sit down in a circle like a few hours ago. Frisk and I wait patiently for Sans to finally answer my question.

*i don't know what relationships other sanses have with their gaster, but it wasn't a good one in my case. i was seven when the war between humans and monsters took place and papyrus was still a newborn. our parents were killed in that fiasco and like every other monster back then, we were forced to flee into the underground. there were so many orphans that some of them were left on the streets. that's the reason why i gladly accepted gaster's invitation to go with him, because papyrus and i had nowhere to go. that mad scientist used me for his painful experiments and papyrus was his key to make me obedient. my anger was limitless and through all these tests i thought that if gaster vanished, my brother and i would be free again. i don't want to know what my face looked like, i tend to get angry, not depressed, you know? that idea became an obsession and i would have used violence to reach that goal. let's just say that i succeeded and luckily papyrus was too young to remember anything. that's the reason why i thought i could stop you with my powers, because violence worked once before, but you made me realise how meaningless my efforts were and it was my first time feeling so hopeless. when you suddenly offered a happy future, i felt so happy, even though i told myself not to trust evil beings like gaster or flowey again. you could compare our current relationship to a child desperately clinging to its mother figure's hand, with me being the child.

Sans is crying by now and he uses both of his hands to wipe his blue-glowing tears away. I am stunned. That sight is so heartbreaking. Even though Sans' sprite looks like 25, right now he looks like a scared child. The suddenly much smaller skeleton tries to continue with unintelligible words.

*i-i don't even know why i'm telling you this. i-i don't understand it. i don't understant myself anymore. i don't understand…

His voice gets more quiet after each word, until he is a sobbing mess. That's when I snap out of my daze and I quickly float to the vulnerable skeleton, instantly wrapping him in warm air. Said monster places his hands around me, holding me close to his bony chest, and curls up around me. We stay like that for a few minutes, so that Sans can cry all his stored tears away. I take a closer look at Frisk, only to see their panicked state. I feel sorry for them, because I wouldn't have known what to do either. During his sobbing, Sans unconsciously whispers his problems to me.

*i-i was alone. nobody remembered the resets. i couldn't talk to anybody. not even about my past. i-i was so lonely…

While his worries are swept away through his tears and whisperings, I continue enveloping him in my warmth. When Sans finally calms down, I quickly evaporate his tears and give him reassuring words.

°Don't worry, Sans. Now you have Frisk and me.

The exhausted skeleton only nods and I can hear a gentle „Thank you" slipping past his never parting teeth. He pulls himself together and not long after that all three of us are back in Snowdin. Sans excuses himself and goes home to get come sleep, while Frisk and I brace ourselves for our hangout with Papyrus. Even though the older brother said that he wanted to rest, said monster can still play the trombone to annoy the younger skeleton during his hangout. Frisk and I get to see Papyrus' „Cool Dude" outfit again and we still „beat" him with our „friendship power". After the young human and I explored the town, we continue on our path through the underground and I'm happy to see that my plan worked. In the place where Frisk normally fights Papyrus, said skeleton is nowhere to be found. He probably went ahead to try and stop Undyne from killing his human friend. A few minutes later, Frisk and I arrive in Waterfall. The flow of the water is soothing like always and the beauty of the Echo Flowers never ceases to amaze me. Frisk speaks to Monster Kid and the orange monster first, before they turn their attention to Sans, a smile spreading across their face. The child sprints to the adult, with me following behind them. Said skeleton lifts the small human up after they arrived at his station, an honest smile on his face. Are his arms long enough for him to reach Frisk over his counter? I dismiss that unimportant question and let that cute and peaceful moment sink in. They look so content and Sans appears like a real father. He probably was a good father figure for Papyrus, at least until he became so lazy. After some time, the comedian turns his attention to me.

*wanna go to grillby's?

There it is! I waited for this sentence, because if he can continue having the same dialogues, he is emotinally stable.

°I'd love to, but now I need a break. This chapter was an emotinal roller coaster for both of us and I need some time to collect myself again. I think that Frisk isn't less worn out.

They both nod, visibly glad for the opportunity to get some rest.

°I didn't intend on making this chapter that much longer than 2,000 words, but I guess it doesn't hurt, does it? Thanks to those who still support me and I hope you liked this so far! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think of this Sans. I don't know if he was in or out of character, so I would like to hear your thoughs about it. We'll hopefully see each other again in the next chapter! Goodbye!

*till the next chap.

Frisk waves at you with both of their hands, still in the bony arms of Sans.


	3. Snowdin: Grillby's

**Chapter 3 - A short break at Grillby's**

A small, blue-glowing lightball appears in front of Sans' sentry post in Waterfall. Welcome back to this small fanfiction of mine! I hope you guys have been well, because I'm feeling great! I have holidays and thus have time to make character designs for my Undertale AU, Undertear (only designs, 'cause I can't really draw). Anyway, I'm at a loss, because Sans and Frisk are sleeping on the chair behind Sans' sentry post. I float to them to get a better view and what do I see? Sans is unconsciously holding Frisk in his arms and the small child is leaning against the skeleton's ribcage, both having peaceful expressions. I can only smile at the sight.

After a few seconds, Sans' smile somehow grows wider, despite his unmoving teeth, and snuggles against Frisk who unconsciously does the same. "Sans seems to have a good dream", is what I'd like to say, but the short monster suddenly frowns, his hands clutching Frisk like he is protecting them. His grip grows stronger and I can see Frisk's pained expression becoming more clear. The young human tries to move away from the older skeleton, trying to at least get more space, but that only makes Sans' hold more tight. I only float there, my light becoming brighter and darker at a fast pace. I don't know what to do. Should I wake them up or should I let them sleep? Before I can think further, I hear Sans mumbling something. I float closer to his face, trying to make his words out.

*don't… touch him… do… everything…

I stop my activities. Don't touch him… Do everything… I will do everything, maybe? Is Sans dreaming about Gaster and the time in the laboratory? Blue-glowing tears are streaming down Sans' cheekbones.

*hurts… why… past… nice…

I can imagine that the experiments were painful, but what about the other words? „Why"? „Past"? „Nice"?! Why would Sans say such a positive word when he is dreaming about such a horrible past? Something is not right here. I will have to question Sans about this matter, but at a later time. Now I have to wake them up, but how? Seems like the matter solved itself, because Frisk thrashing around woke Sans up. He opens his eye-sockets and his attention immediately goes to the small body in his arms. His half-lidded eyes show that he needs a few moments more to get a grip on the situation and when his mind registers the situation, he removes his hold on the young human who then painfully falls on the ground. Frisk sits up, rubbing the back of their head with their right hand, and looks up at Sans.

They ask him why he did that.

*sorry, kiddo. when i woke up and saw that i had you in a death grip, i immediately let go of you without a second thought. i didn't mean to make you hit your head on the ground.

His apologetic face shows that Sans is serious and thus Frisk lets it slip. Only after this ordeal is solved, Sans actually notices me. He turns his attentnion to me and puts on his laid-back smile.

*hey q. glad to see that you're back.

Frisk turns their smiling face to me, greeting me with a small bow.

°Hello Sans, Frisk! It's nice to see you two again. Have you done something while I was away?

*not really. we immediately went to sleep-

Sans then realises that I came back while he was asleep. He remembers his nightmare and fears that I could have noticed that something was off with him. He faces me with suspicious eye-sockets and asks.

*since when did you come back?

°Early enough, Sans. Early enough.

The skeleton turns away from me and stares at the ground with a sad expression on his face. My answer wasn't clear and that only leads to Sans having more questions, but for now the three of us are going to Grillby's!

°Sans, are you going to teleport us Grillby's? I think that we rested enough for now.

My question brought Sans back from his thoughts and he nods, motioning to Frisk and me to follow him. Everything goes black before we find ourselves back in the firemonster's bar. Greeted by Sans' friends, we go to the seats in front of the counter, like always, and before Frisk sits down I tell them to remove the whoopee cushion which makes Sans pout. Of course, he just pretends to pout, but Frisk and I still have to laugh, because Sans looks so adorable like that.

°Honestly Sans, you could at least think of some new pranks. We won't fall for your old pranks for… for… for who-knows-how-many-times!

This time Sans laughs and Frisk pouts. I laugh too, but it seriously is embarrassing how we always fall for Sans' pranks. Well… actually the game forces us to fall for the pranks, but that isn't important now. After Sans calmed down, he turns to Grillby to ordert two portions of fries and the firemonster immediately gets to work. A few minutes later the owner of this bar comes back with the requested food and sets it down in front of his three new guests before he resumes to polishing his glasses. Sans turns his attention to Frisk and they already know what the short monster will ask them.

*want some ketchup?

Frisk declines his offer, already knowing that the ketchup would ruin their food, and Sans just gulps the condiment down within a few seconds. Honestly, how can he just „drink" ketchup like it's water? Sans really has some weird habits. Now that the funny part is over, it's time to start the serious talk and I don't mean the old talk about the echo flowers with hints of Flowey. Something is bothering Sans, besides his recent nightmare, and it looks like he would like to ask me a few things. I tell Frisk to eat the two portions of fries and float over to Sans to settle beside his left hand.

°I know that something is bothering you and I'm sure that I know the answers for your questions. Tell me.

The short skeleton looks at me for a short moment before he sighs. He turns his skull away from me and a troubled expression makes its way to his face.

*you know… everytime you guys did a True Pacifist run, you somehow broke the barrier, right? how did you do it?

Wait a second. Sans doesn't know? But why? Maybe it's because he normally is one of Flowey's victims too and the monsters don't remember being absorbed by Flowey, right? Well, why should I deny Sans an answer?

°Before I answer you, Sans, please speak in a more quiet tone. It's not a topic that should be discussed in a public place anyway.

Sans blinks a few times before his eye-sockets widen a little bit in realisation and he nods, understanding my concern. I start wispering too.

°You remember Flowey, right? Do you also know that he is Prince Asriel?

Sans stiffens, his face clearly showing his shock, and shakes his head.

°Then let me tell you about his story after his death. After Asriel died, he was reborn as a golden flower. How was it possible? Well, you at least know that Alphys experiments with determination, right?

This time Sans' face shows panic, but only a little bit. I know that „experiments" and „determination" isn't a nice pair of words for the short skeleton, but he has to know what Alphys does, if he wants to understand the rest of the story. Sans collects himself again and nods.

°Good. So, Alphys once collected a few golden flowers from Asgore's Throne Room to test how determination affects soulless beings. One of the collected flowers grew up in remains of Asriel's dust. Later Alphys gave up on the experiment and brought some back. The prince's flower was one of them. There, the determination inside the flower grew and the end result was Flowey.

*wait, what's the difference between our kind prince and that murderous flower?

°I know it's confusing, so please, listen carefully now. Flowey is Asriel, just without his soul.

*without a soul?! how is that possible?!

°I will explain it now. Honestly, where should I start? Okay, first, where is Asriel's soul? It's gone. It shattered the moment he died. Okay, it still floated for a few seconds, because he was a boss monster, but it doesn't change the fact that the soul is gone now. Secondly, Flowey. Alphys did the experiments with the flowers, but the plants remained normal, even today. So why did Asriel's flower change so much? What's the difference between the flowers in Alphys' lab and Flowey? It's the fact that Flowey grew up with monster dust and it seems like Flowey got a few of Asriel's traits in the process. Monster traits. The normal flowers had nothing the injected determination could cling on, because determination is something that remains inside beings with a soul and flowers don't have souls. Flowey however had traits from a monster, a being with a soul, and the injected determination clung to Asriel's traits. From then on, the determination began to grow, because even plants have the instinct to survive. At some point, Flowey gained a consciousness, but he couldn't feel emotions properly, because of the fact that he doesn't have a soul. He also gained the ability to reset at that point. He tried everything he could to feel again properly, but without success. After a while he started killing people, because he could. In the end, Frisk came and you should know the rest.

*i think that i somewhat understand your story, but that didn't answer my actual question.

°Don't be so impatient, Sans. I will answer it now. You still remember the moment when all monsters from the undertround gathered by the barrier right?

*yeah.

°You also remember Flowey's attack?

*yeah.

°Do you remember anything that happens after Flowey absorbed everyone?

*not really, but that's the reason why i'm asking you in the first place.

°I have to know which events you remember and which not, so that I can piece the story together in a way that you can understand. Okay, Flowey absorbed the six human souls along with every monster soul. In order for Flowey to turn into Asriel again, he needed seven human souls, don't ask me why, and every monster soul equals one human soul. At that point, he even had more determination than Frisk and started wrecking time and space, but Frisk and I were able to call the true Asriel out. He really is a nice child. He even destroyed the barrier and let everyone go, despite the fact that he would turn back into a flower without all these souls. After that Asriel retreated back into the ruins and Frisk and I found ourselves in the room before the barrier, surrounded by everyone. You should be able to remember the rest.

*in other words, it was asriel who saved us all.

Sans' expression clearly shows his emotions right now. Shock, surprise and the feeling to be lost. From all the beings that could have saved monsterkind it had to be the murderous flower that killed these exact monsters several times. Irony of fate. Now that Sans thinks about it, how am _I_ going to break the barrier this time?

*how are you going to free monsterkind this time? i would prefer not to get absorbed again.

°Don't worry, Sans. I already figured something out and my plan will also save Chara's first victim.

The short skeleton eyes me suspiciously, a little bit irritated by my vague answer.

*what exactly are you-

°Don't ask, Sans. Don't. I won't write any more spoilers than I already have. You will see soon enough how I will break the barrier. More importantly, how are the fries, Frisk?

The sudden change of topic catches Sans off guard. It seems like Frisk didn't really pay attention to the talk between their two friends and just ate the fries. By the mention of their name, Frisk turns their gaze towards Sans and me. Not wanting to worry the young child, the short skeleton quickly put on his usual lazy smile and the three of us start talking about old times, an attempt to keep the mood relaxed.

°Honestly, Sans! How strong are you?! I know that you didn't give it your all when you fought us.

*even though i didn't give it my all, you still had a hard time beating me in the first attemps. looks like this lazybones is has some backbone in him.

I furiously fly around, showing my faked anger, and Sans still has the nerve to wink! I fly into his right eye-socket at full speed and start wrecking his skull from inside out. His eyes close from the pain and he holds his head with his right hand.

*ow! o-okay, i'm sorry! i'm sorry! i surrender! i surrender!

The three of us start laughing and I float out of his skull. At least that was what I intended to do. When the pain wears off, Sans suddenly hears something, a melody. He doesn't know why, but that song manages to calm him down immensely and he wants to listen to it a little bit longer, but he notices how the melody grows more quiet the longer the distance between me and him is. Thus he grabs me, shoves me in his right eye-socket and keeps said socket closed with his right hand. He is right, the melody becomes more clear when I'm in his skull. His face shows wonder and curiosity.

*q, can you explain me why i hear melodys when you are inside my skull?

I raise one nonexistent eyebrow, surprise and curiosity making their way inside my mind. Sans hears melodys because of me?

°What exactly do you hear? Can you somehow sing or hum it?

Sans starts humming with his deep voice and I'm fascinated by his unexpected musical talent. Well, he can play a trombone, but i didn't expect his voice to be so nice to listen to. More importantly, the song he is humming actually is "sans."!

°Wait,wait,wait. Why can you hear the song "sans."?! Sans, please let Grillby put the bill on your tab and follow my directions.

He does like he is told and leaves Grillby's after he said goodbye to his friends. Frisk isn't far behind him. Once outside Sans tells me that the melody changed and he humms it again. To my surprise it was "Snowdin Town"!

°You can hear the background music!

*background music? like in games or anime?

°Yes!

*can you explain me why i'm able to hear the background music when you are inside my skull?

°I can't really explain it, but maybe we are in a state of half-sync when I'm inside your skull.

*huh? why is that?

°Like I said, I can't really explain it either. Anyway, let me out!

Realising that he trapped me inside his head, Sans removes his right hand and lets me leave his skull. If my hypothesis is correct then Frisk should have been able to hear the background music too, right? I turn my attention to the young child and ask.

°Could you hear the background music too, Frisk?

They nod.

°And now?

They shake their head. Seems like I'm right. If I somehow sync with someone, that person will experience life more from the player's view. That's very interesting, to say the least. Maybe I can give my partner new abilitys when I use the right amount of determination. There are so many possibilitys! Can I take my partner to other timelines? Maybe even AUs? I'm so excited right now! I would like to experiment with this new discovery, but the story progress is more important right now. The experiments can wait until the right time comes. The three of us walk back to Sans' sentry post in Waterfall with me inside the skeleton's skull. He wants to hear more of the background music. After we finally arrive at the sentry post, I leave Sans' skull and announce the end for now.

°I'm going to end the chapter here. Sans, I hope you don't mind Frisk resting inside your sentry post. I'm asking, because I know that you will go somewhere else. You always go somewhere else at this point.

Said human child is already peeks across the counter and looks at the skeleton with… Oh my god, not again! The puppy eyes! The puppy eyes! Frisk is so cute right now! However, I think that that isn't really necessary, because Sans surely won't have anything against them sleeping in there. I mean, it's not like he will need the sentry station anytime soon, right?

*that doesn't bother me at all. wish you sweet dreams, kiddo.

And thus Frisk retreats inside Sans' sentry post after they waved their hands at you. A few seconds later one could hear the small human child quietly snoring.

°This chapter is more like a… filler? I don't know. Anyway, I wanted to do Waterfall in this chapter, but I realised that I don't remember many details and thus decided to play the game again with pencil and paper by my side. I hope that the whole theory part wasn't too boring and we will hopefully see each other again in the next chapter! I really hope to finish Waterfall then. Also, James Birdsong, 17nicholasc, thank you guys for your lovely reviews! They made me really happy!

*till the next chap.

Sans turns around to go back to Snowdin, but I stop him. He turns around, a look of curiosity covering his skull, and I start to speak in a serious tone.

°Sans, we're going to talk about Gaster some other time. You didn't tell me everything, did you?

Shocked, Sans trys to ask me how I got this knowledge, only for me to disappear in the next moment. The skeleton then decides to put the question in his imaginary "To-Do" list and goes away to let Frisk sleep in peace.


	4. Waterfall part 1

**Chapter 4 - The true face of the first human**

Welcome back to this small fanfic of mine! For those who read the story before this chapter: You surely (or not) noticed some changes in the number of chapters. That's because I decided to make some changes. The first one would be the fusion of the first and second chapter. I noticed that the former first chapter wasn't really convincing and counted more as a prolog. The second change would be new story-related stuff in the former second chapter and some changes in some theorys. Skeletons aren't immune to determination anymore, because a new idea popped into my head that combines all (future) elements better. Also, I changed the theory about Flowey, because I played the game again and noticed how my theory doesn't match with the game. Now everything should be relateable to the original source! At least I hope so… Please tell me if something isn't right and I will see if I can change that. No promises though. Now, where were we? So looking at my surroundings, it seems like I am in the room to the right of Sans' sentry station in Waterfall-

Suddenly, two small hands clasp around me. Well, at least I could say everything I wanted to say. I recommend reading the first and third chapter again when you read it before the release of this chapter! I also want to thank GermanAntasma and Cr4zyKitty for favoriting/following this story! Now to my attacker. I make myself untouchable and float out of the hand of the unknown person. Wait, isn't that…

°Frisk!

When my small companion realises that I recognize them, they throw their little arms in the air and bounce with happiness. They really are glad to see me and their wholehearted laughter just underlines that fact.

°How have you been, my friend?

The young human says that they got a good night's sleep and that everything is alright. Then they suddenly stop their actions and stand still. It's like the child just noticed something. They turn their attention to me with a serious expression and ask me if I changed something in the timeline. Wow, I expect nothing less from someone who is familiar with resets!

°Yeah, I changed some things, so that this story stays true to the original game. To be honest, I really am happy that my ideas slowly connect to each other and my new thoughs spare Sans a lot of pain. Very much pain.

Not knowing how to respond to my explanation, Frisk decides to remain silent. Then, their consciousness fades abruptly and Chara comes out.

*You really are a fool, aren't you? How do you imagine that utopia of yours? Will you live with monsterkind without confessing your crimes-

°Of course I will tell them. I want them to accept me as who I am.

*How do you think will that work?! Will you just say, "Also, in the past I killed you many times, sorry about that.", and think that they will forgive you-

°I also thought of a solution to that.

*…I don't understand you. Why are you working so hard to make them happy when you made them unhappy so many times? You murdered them. You _literally_ murdered them. Something must have driven you to kill them, right? Was it because of another person? Was it because of curiosity? Was it because of _hatred_?

°It was because of curiosity and love. Not the boyfriend-girlfriend kind of love, but the I-like-the-characters kind of love. Sometimes with and sometimes without LOVE.

* _Love_? How can a sane person kill other people because of _love_. _Love_ from all things.

°Ever heared of yanderes? Anyway, that's not the point here. In the game, the player's knowledge about the characters is limited, because, like Flowey once said, they are nothing more but a few lines of code. There are people like me, who would like to learn more about their favorite characters and do everything possible. "How would they react when I am nice to them? How would they react when I am mean to them? How would they react when I _kill_ them? I want to know!" You could say that it's the player-language for asking the characters, "Can I get to know you better?" I don't know if it counts for other players out there, but at some point it became the main reason for my resets.

*… So… It wasn't because of hatred? It was because you can only communicate with us that way?

°In my case, yes. That only counts for Undertale though. I replay games for various reasons.

*So… It's wrong to kill people? Was my plan to kill humanity… wrong?

°Of course it's wrong!

*Even if I harbor, in my opinion, justified hatred towards humanity?

°Even if you hate humans with your whole being.

*Even when monsterkind betrayed me?

°Even when the monsters betrayed you in not having such a strong grudge against humanity like yourself.

*… You know… When you spared everyone in the first timeline of this AU… I thought… that my actions were wrong…that it's not right to murder people… that Asriel didn't betray me… but… then you started killing everyone… and I thought… that I was right… and that Asriel betrayed me… like my parents… I thought that everything nice in my life, that every moment of happiness, that every single ray of hope is a lie! I lost myself in hatred and started following your actions. I… murdered everyone… everyone who was nice to me! I murdered the only people who cared for me in even the slightest way! _I_ am the one who betrayed them! I am the despicable one here! I-I didn't want to- didn't mean to…! I just wanted a normal life, I just wanted people to love me, to accept me, I just wanted… I just… I… I'm so sorry guys...! I'm so sorry! Please…! Please forgive me!

In the middle of their latest paragraph, Chara falls on their knees and hold their tiny hands in front of their eyes, blocking the view of their face. Tears can be seen rolling down their slightly red cheeks and one can hear small hiccups now and then. Chara is crying.

I summon a blue-glowing body of a female teenager, so that the little human can act with it, and embrace the weeping child in front of me. You know, I really feel sorry for Chara. At least this Chara. They didn't say it yet and I'm sure they didn't realise it either, but they didn't just want to kill humanity because of their hatred, it also was to repay monsterkind. During their time in the underground they got to see the hardships the poor monsters had to face and wanted to free them. Chara didn't have the best parents and the people inside Mount Ebott were the first ones to actually show concern for the small child. They just wanted to thank the monsters for everything the long-forgotten race gave them.

It was us _players_ who planted the seed of confusion inside the mind of the clueless child. Children learn from the adults around them and _we_ taught Chara that killing is okay. _We_ taught them all the evil things. It's _our_ fault. So, of course it's _my_ responsibility to righten my wrongdoings.

°It's not your fault, Chara. _I_ am the one who has to take responsibility. You're just a victim of wrong teachings. You learned from the wrong person and I really feel guilty about that. I already planned how to make it up to you.

Chara wipes their eyes with their sleeves and look up to face the head of my summoned body. Their expression is still filled with negative emotions, but now there also is a small spark of curiosity in their eyes.

°I will give you a new start.

The little human tilts their head in confusion. Seems like my words are too vague, but that was intended.

°There is one thing that has been on my mind though.

Chara perks up at that and looks at me with curiosity.

°Do you remember the soul I gave you in our first killing spree?

The little kid twitches once and looks down to avoid my view, but despite their effort I can still tell the guilt in their hidden eyes.

°Can you do me the favour and give it back to Frisk later? You should know by now that they're innocent.

Chara looks up again and answers with slight panic in their voice.

*I-I can return it right away!

I can understand that the little human child wants to fix their mistakes right away, but there is a reason why I want the two children to share the soul for a little bit longer.

°Chara, I have a question for you.

Said person suppresses their nervousness quickly and listens carefully.

°Why do you feel emotions?

Everythings stops for Chara. That question is justified. They don't have a soul. They shouldn't be able to feel because of that fact. So why…? Now it clicks!

*I can feel, … because… I have Frisk's soul, … right?

°Did you ever consider the possibility of you forgetting this feelings and becoming a demon again?

*… No…

°Do you understand now?

*Yes, but…

°Yeah?

*When will I be able to return the soul? Isn't it impossible… without losing my true self?

°Good question, Chara, but don't worry. I said "later", right? I already have a plan.

*…

Seems like our conversation came to an end with my last sentence, so I let the poor child calm down in the arms of my summoned body.

°Anyway, can we continue? Or else we'll never reach the surface.

The change in topic catches the young human off guard, but what picks their attention is the fact that I'm speaking to _them_ and not to Frisk.

*Wait, shouldn't you say that to Frisk?

°A short walk doesn't hurt and I'm sure that they won't have anything against that idea. Can you ask them, please?

A few seconds pass where the two only humans in the underground speak to each other and it doesn't take them long to come to a conclusion.

*Frisk says that it's fine.

°Great! But there's an important thing I have to say about that matter.

Chara looks up at me with curiosity in their eyes. They look so innocent now and I feel really guilty when I see the tear stains on their small face, so I raise one hand to wipe them away.

°You're not allowed to meet anybody, let alone let them see you.

Chara's body stiffens up, a look of pure shock on their childish face. Their eyes become coulded with sadness and focus on me, threatening to let a new set of tears loose. I'm not bullying a little kid to tears here, am I? Don't you dare judge me, dear readers! There is a reason for my last statement!

°D-Don't cry! It's not like I don't want to be seen with you! It's just… Can you imagine the reaction of monsterkind when they see one of the dead, royal children walking on the street?

The young human's eyes widen in realisation and they calm down quickly, nodding in understanding. Then a new thought comes to their mind.

*W-What about Alphys' cameras?! Wait, she didn't witness our conversation just now, did she?!

°I already turned the cameras off.

*How-

°It's pretty handy to have total control over the timeline, you know?

*Oh, right… Sorry, I forgot… somehow.

°Phew… Let's get going then. I will tell you two when you should switch, okay?

Chara looks down like they are in deep thought before nodding, so I assume that Frisk agrees too.

°Now that everything is settled, let's go!

Suddenly a light-blue light surrounds the human's body and they start levitating. I carefully guide them through the water and let them pick up the Old Tutu behind the waterfall before the two of us go to the next area.

Following my expectations, Papyrus is already giving Undyne his daily report. I tell my human companions to switch places before we hide in the tall gras. Well, the conversation is the same as always and Papyrus quickly disappears to the left. Frisk makes some noise to catch Undyne's attention and after the fish woman vanishes in the shadows, we leave the gras to the right and have a short talk with Monster Kid who trips afterwards. I quickly save and tell my young companions to change everytime we encounter a monster. Frisk deals with the fights while Chara accompanys me outside the conflicts.

In the next room, I expertly place the Bridge Seeds in the right places and Chara just sits with their back against the wall. Their legs are dragged to their chest and their arms rest above the first mentioned limbs. Their head is placed on top of the folded arms, a sad expression adorning their young face.

*You know, I just wanted them to be happy.

I don't respond, silently telling the young human to move on and Chara continues.

*I thought that what I did was right. That I would do my family a favor. That I could make them happy. They gave me everything I wanted: A normal life, a family, friends. I wanted to give something in return…

The little child now stares at the ceiling, their facial expression clearly showing that their mind is far away. I just finished the puzzle, so the two of us move to the next area. Neither one of us speaks a word.

The next puzzle is like the previous one with a little more difficulties, but I already know the solutions anyway. I firstly make a path to the right, so that Chara can sit on the bench and pick the Abanboned Quiche up. That way they won't get in any fights. I let them enjoy the silence and quickly finish the puzzle in the previous room. When I return, the young child still stares at the ceiling mindlessly, but this time they have tears in their eyes.

*It was just an excuse, right? I used the heroic reasoning to justify my terrible actions, but deep down I knew that I just wanted revenge. Revenge for the horrible life the humans gave me. I wanted to let my judgement befall them and rob their lives.

The small child slowly turns their head in my direction. Their face is void of any emotions and the young human looks like they fell in deep depression during my absence. They look ready to give up, to give up life, _to commit suicide_.

*I'm a bad child, aren't I? I'm so selfish. I was craving for the extinction of humankind. I wanted to hold them in my hands and squeeze them to death. I would tear their limbs off, maybe slowly pulling on them until they fall off. Their screams of terror would be my favorite music and the scene of humans running away in a panic would be the best show I ever saw. I would eat the flesh of their limbs and drink their blood from headless corpses. I would squash their body until the last drop of the red fluid came out. It would run my hands down and I would like it up, enjoying the taste. There would be so much of it that it would start raining blood under dark clouds. I would bath in my victory, covered in their red essence and savor the moment of satisfaction. _That was my true desire_. The saddest fact is that I wanted to do these horrific things, not because of my debt for monsterkind, but for my own hatred against humans. I want to die so badly, but fate just won't let me go. I climbed Mount Ebott to commit suicide and ended up with a family. This time I died together with Asriel, but was resurrected. Life punishes me with pain after pain, but when even death doesn't want me, where am I supposed to go?

Chara is sitting on the bench with their legs dragged to their chest and their arms around their legs. Their head faces me with the young child's face covered in tears and a dishonest, but still crazy smile on the lips. Their posture screams despair and hopelessness, but fate always refuses to grant them one single wish. Seems like Undertale isn't just Sans' hell anymore.

I have to help them somehow, so I summon the light-blue body once more. It takes a seat next to the suicidal child and motions them to lay their small head on its lap. Since the little human doesn't respond, my body slowly moves one of its arms around the shorter person and lightly tugs them in its direction. Chara drops on its lap like a lifeless puppet. That's a slightly alarming sight, because now even my fake body appears more like a living being than that young human. In hopes of calming Chara down even a little bit, I command one hand to stroke the little child's hair.

°Everyone can be a great person if they try.

That line finally catches Chara's attention and they look up to my body's face.

*Isn't that line from…

°Yes, Papyrus always says this. You are like Alphys, living in lies because you fear the judgement of other people. Chara, I'm saying this now because I want to help you, so listen carefully.

They nod, showing me that they understand.

°Tell them everything.

The little human abruptly sits up because of pure shock. They look at me with disbelief and panic written across their face.

*I-I could never tell them! T-They will never forgive me, they will _kill_ me! I failed to free them, murdered their only prince and let them fall into deeper despair… T-They will _hate_ me!

I shake my head in disapproval. They will always carry that burden with them when they don't speak about it.

°Tell them everything from the beginning to the end. How you life was before you met the monsters, what lead you to commit suicide, what made you eat the buttercups and why you commited genocide on them. Don't let anything out or they won't be able to understand you.

*T-That's impossible! I-I could never… tell them my terrible story… They will despise me. They won't understand me.

°Monsters are very understanding creatures and you know that, but they won't be able to put themselves in your position if you don't tell them everything.

*What if you won't?

°Then they will have to deal with two killers, after all I will tell them about me too.

Chara's eyes widen in realisation. They nearly forgot that I plan to confess everything myself.

°You won't be alone, I will be with you. Let's back each other up, alright?

The young child sits there for a few second, letting their mind process my words. When it finally clicked, they instantly tear up and nod before the waterdrops fall down. They hold their hands up and try to wipe the tears away in an unspectacular way. I laugh lightly at the sight and embrace them, making the little human lean on me. In that moment, Chara gives in and let's their long stored despair out. They don't fight the tears anymore and their crys can easily be heared in the whole underground. Their tiny hands grip the light-blue mass of my body, which gives in like a shirt, and they burry their head in my chest.

What I'm seeing in front of me now isn't a demon, but a crying child that needs comfort. I hug them closer to me, letting my hands pet their small back and head. We're just sitting like that for a few minutes, so that Chara can let loose of the pain they always hide inside their way to tiny soul.

When the young child finally calms down, I let them snuggle up to me and enjoy the embrace of another person. After all, they really need this short break. A couple of minutes later, Chara gets enough courage to face me again.

*I'm sorry that I wasted to much time. We should continue.

°To be honsted, dear, I think it's better if you change places with Frisk for now. You need time to rest.

*Sorry.

°Don't be sorry. I'm sure that Frisk is worried about you too.

*…Thank you.

Those are the last words before Chara closes their eyes and their face takes a blank expression. Not long after that the same face smiles up to me with its eyes closed. That was definitely Frisk.

°Welcome back, Frisk.

I pet their hair a few times before I make my body disappear and settle on their head with my glowing lightball. The young child looks up to me, a troubled expression on their face.

They ask if everything is going to be okay.

°Don't worry, I got everything under control. Don't forget to follow our routine, yeah? Well, let's go!

Finally, the whole Chara-drama ends and we can continue our way to the "WISHING ROOM". The beauty of the sparkling stones never cease to disappoint me and the music "Waterfall" just underlines the atmosphere perfectly. Here are the hopes and dreams of the whole underground. Admiring the scenery, we slowly approach the first echo flower.

*A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…

Frisk suddenly walks away in a slightly faster pace than normal and we arrive at the other flowers.

*Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that.

*C'mon, sis!

*Make a wish!

*I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday…

Now the young child leaves the room in an obviously faster pace and we find five texts with ancient writing.

*(Ancient writing covers the walls… you can just make out the words.)

*"The War of Humans and Monsters."

*Why did the humans attack?

*Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear.

*Humans are unbelievably strong.

*It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster…

*… just to equal the power of a single human SOUL.

*But humans have one weakness.

*Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL.

*Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death.

*If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL.

*A monster with a human SOUL…

*A horrible beast with unfathomable power.

*(It's an illustration of a strange creature…)

*(There's something very unsettling about this drawing.)

My little companion grips their shirt above the place where their heart is. Holding that spot with a slightly shaking hand, the two of us use the small raft to cross the water and enter the next room. There, Undyne is awaiting us and we escape with ease. Dodging the spears and hiding in the tall gras, the female warrior only finds Monster Kid and gives up for now. After she leaves, we exit the gras and have another talk with the child monster. Afterwards, I save in the next room and we meet Sans in the room further ahead.

Upon spotting the skeleton, Frisk instantly runs towards him and tackles him with a hug. The weird part of this cute act is how Frisk insists on hiding their face in Sans' shirt. Said monster raises a skeletal eye-brow and returns the hug carefully.

*hey, kiddo. what's wrong?

The child refuses to reply and I decide to task them with buying Nice Cream from Nice Cream Guy.

°How about you buy some Nice Cream for us? I'm sure that the vendor will be very happy to have some customers.

They smile at the opportunity to please someone and quickly sprint into the cavern to the right. When they are out of sight, Sans drops his mask and sighs before facing me.

*what's wrong with frisk?

°Don't worry, I'll take care of that. I know that you have more important questions.

*all knowing like always, aren't you? the change in the timeline aside, you should know that a certain name catched my attention in the last chapter.

°A certain former royal scientist, I assume?

*bingo. what do you know about him? or wait, that's the wrong question.

Sans closes his eye-sockets and opens them again to reveal darkness.

*Tell me everything about him.

After that sentence, his eye-lights return.

°Now, now, Sans. Still distrusting here, aren't we? Tell me your part first.

*i already told you in the thrid- wait, now it's the second chapter, right? anyway, i already told you.

°You didn't tell me the whole story, Sans. I need to know if it's the right time and it will be easier to let you tell the readers.

*why don't you do it yourself?

°I'm too lazy and you are aware that the decision to give you information lies in _my_ hands, right?

*… fine. where should i start?

°How about from your birthday?

*… you like to make other people suffer, don't you?

°Depends.

*… alright.

The skeleton sighs and braces himself mentally for some unpleasant memories. He sits down on the ground and I land on his telescope.

°Don't be so stressed, Sans. You can prepare yourself until the next chapter. I think that this chapter is long enough and I'm slightly amazed at the unexpected length of Waterfall. This is the first time where I have to split an area up. Well, I really am sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter and I don't really have an excuse. I was just too lazy! Well, that isn't entirely true. I just have too many ideas for _future_ events that I lack the inspiration for the current progress of the story. But hey, I hope you stay tuned for more about this Sans' past! To be honest, I'm not sure if I should tell it now already, so it can be that I will make slight changes in this chapter and delay the rest of Sans' past. I will say this in advance, Sans' view of his childhood is only a small piece of the whole picture. At least that will be the case when the story progresses in the way I think it will. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to reread the chapters I mentioned at the beginning! Sans!

*yeah, yeah. to be honest, i'm curious myself, because you said that "my view" is only a small part of the whole. i really recommend reading the next chapter, at least when q decides to let the story progress this way.

°Hey, it will still be readable, even if I decide to change things!

*okay, okay! well, hope to see you guys in the next chapter.

°till the next chap!


End file.
